WOW 2019 EARLY INTERVENTION NUTRITION THERAPY RESOURCE Tamara H. Little, RD, LD NutriLevel Consulting LLC 1311 Circle Dr, Oxford AL 36203 O: 334-329-8212 | F: 334-472-2364 tlittle@nutrilevelrd.com 1
STRATEGIES FOR FEEDING YOUR CHILD USING MY PLATE FUNDAMENTALS Importance of Nutrition At no other time in the lifecycle is nutrition delivery more important for health, growth, and development than during early childhood (birth to 3 years). The right amounts of macronutrients like protein, fat, and carbohydrates and micronutrients like vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc are essential to brain and motor development for all children. Nutrition Therapy in Early Intervention Research shows that as many as 90% of children with developmental delays will have at least one nutrition risk indicator. Nutrition risks can include failure to thrive, obesity, poor feeding skills, sensory disorders, altered growth, increased or decreased energy, partial or total dependence on tube feeding, and/or frequent sickness. As a part of Early Intervention Services, Nutrition Therapy focuses on teaching parents and caregivers ways to promote and support a child ’ s nutritional growth. Being a Positive Role Model A child’s most effective teacher are those with whom they have a nurturing relationship and with whom they spend the most time, such as his or her mother, father, grandparent, or primary caregiver. Children are impressionable, especially at a young age, so it is important to set a good example with your own habits. Eating is no different, and the way parents talk about food, cook meals and eat are the most important influence of developing healthy eating habits for a child. Children watch and imitate adults and look to them to learn everything from saying please and thank-you to fitness and nutrition behavior. As role models, parents and caregivers need to make sure they're demonstrating a healthy attitude toward food so their children do, too. 2
MyPlate Food Guide MyPlate is a great tool to help parents plan and practice healthy meals habits with their children. MyPlate is the current nutrition guide published by the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. It replaced the USDA's MyPyramid guide in 2011, ending 19 years of USDA food pyramid diagrams. MyPlate illustrates the five food groups that are the building blocks for a healthy diet, using a familiar image — a place setting for a meal. Before you eat think about what goes on your plate, in your cup, or in your bowl. The goal of MyPlate is to have half of your plate filled with fruits and vegetable and the other half filled with grains/starches. Portion sizes for infants and toddlers are usually smaller than portion sizes for adults and older children. Typical portion sizes for toddlers are explained in each food group below. 3
Offer a variety of healthy foods: Vary your protein foods. Include beans and peas at dinner at least once a week. Eat your colors. Offer dark-green, red, or orange vegetables at dinner. Make half your grains whole grains. They are good for your heart and digestion and can help you maintain a healthy weight and good overall health. Strong bodies need strong bones. Offer fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk at meals. Be mindful of sweet drinks and other foods: Offer water instead of sugary drinks like regular soda and fruit drinks. Other foods like hot dogs, burgers, pizza, cookies, cakes, and candy are only occasional treats. Focus on the meal and each other: Your child learns by watching you. Let your child choose how much to eat of foods you provide. Children copy your likes, dislikes, and your interest in trying new foods. Be patient with your child: Children enjoy food when eating it is their own choice. Some new foods take time. Give a taste at first and wait a bit. Let children serve themselves by taking small amounts. Offer new foods many times. Forcing your child to eat: It turns out that forcing usually leads to the child eating less. Forcing also teaches children to ignore their own sense of hunger and fullness, which doesn’t lead to healthy eating habits or good self-esteem. Nagging or making deals about food: Strategies like, “Just two more bites,” and “If you eat your vegetables, you can have dessert,” will not work in the long run. Children catch on quickly if there are rewards to be won and will soon bargain around many behaviors. Worrying about your child being picky: Even though many parents worry about their children’s food intake, most of them are getting enough nutrition. Ask your health care provider if you are worried about your child’s weight, growth, or eating habits (keeping a food diary for a week can help with this conversation). 4
Remember that meals are about more than just food. They are a time to connect with your child and support his overall development. Turn off the TV, silence the cell phones, and make mealtimes screen-free for everyone. Sit together as a family, and take time to talk together and enjoy one another. This simple mealtime routine helps build strong family relationships, and a healthy relationship with food. Food Safety for Families When feeding young children, avoid: All unpasteurized foods and beverages, including raw milk and unpasteurized juice and ciders Raw or partially cooked eggs or foods containing raw eggs Raw or undercooked meat and poultry Raw and undercooked fish or shellfish Raw sprouts Honey, until after the baby's first birthday because it can harbor spores of toxic bacterium that can cause botulism, a severe foodborne illness caused by a bacterium which occurs in soil. Avoid feeding young children straight from a container that is going to be stored again for later use — such as a baby food jar. The "double dipping" from spoon-to-mouth and back to container, introduces bacteria from your child's mouth into the rest of the food. These bacteria can continue to grow in the leftovers and may cause food poisoning. A safer method is to spoon baby food from the jar into a separate dish and then feed from the new dish instead. Throw away all uneaten food from the dish. Food that has not been in contact with the child’s mouth can be stored in the refrigerator according to the guidelines below. For safe food storage, reseal the container of food that has not been used to feed the child and store it in the refrigerator (at 40°F or below). Opened containers of strained fruits can be saved for up to three days Strained meats can be stored for one day Vegetable and meat combinations can be kept for two days Unopened jars of baby food have the same shelf life as other canned foods. 5
OH OH TAST STE AND SEA SEA : “ Expanding Your Family’s Palette with Exotic Fruits and Berries ” Beyond common apples and oranges, there’s a whole world of weird and wonderful fruits to explore. Exotic and unique-looking produce is mostly native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of places such as Southeast Asia, New Zealand and South America, but now is grown in warm regions of other countries, too, including the United States. While you might find some of these fresh fruits in your regular supermarket on occasion, they’re more widely available at Asian, Latin and gourmet supermarkets, or from online specialty produce purveyors. Growing seasons vary by location and fruit, with some growing year-round in temperate or tropical climates. Canned, jarred and dried fruits are available year-round, as are products made from these fruits, such as jellies and jams. Like other fruits, exotic options are typically good sources of vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber. Inside and out, their vivid colors, varying textures and sweet to tart tastes may be a pleasant surprise. Their curious appearance may be one reason why specialty fruits are among six of the top 10 fastest growing categories in grocery stores, according to a 2015 Nielsen study. And Nielsen’s previous report found that dollar sales of fresh global and exotic items grew 9 percent in 2014. That’s not surprising, given the culinary trend of fusion cuisine and a desire to eat healthier. Restaurant 6
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